Author: News Room

The World Health Organisation has called on governments to significantly increase taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol to save lives. WHO warns that beverages like sugary drinks and alcohol are too accessible and cost too little in most of the world – helping fuel obesity, diabetes, cancer and injury. “Health taxes have been shown to reduce consumption of these harmful products, helping to prevent disease and reduce the burden on health systems. “At the same time, they generate an income stream that governments can use to invest in health, education and social protection,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus told journalists…

The retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi, who was kidnapped by suspected bandits in Ora, Osun State, has regained his freedom after the payment of an undisclosed ransom. The former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Yemi Farounbi, who is the Asiwaju of Ora-Igbomina, announced Owolabi’s release in a statement obtained by PUNCH Metro on Tuesday. A source involved in the efforts to secure Owolabi’s release, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of lack of authorisation to speak on the issue, told PUNCH Metro on Tuesday that the kidnappers freed him late on Monday in Oro Ago, a community in the…

The Alert Group has unveiled plans to disburse N130bn in loans in 2026, as it continues to expand its financial services across Nigeria and support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The announcement was made during a media chat in Lagos on Tuesday, where the Group Chief Executive Officer of Alert Group, Olanrewaju Kazeem, outlined achievements, growth strategy, and future plans. The Alert Group comprises Auto Bucks Lenders, Alert Microfinance Bank, Green Bucks Limited, and Bucksfield Asset Management. According to him, the group has recorded growth over the past three years. Its total assets have increased from N2.9bn in 2023 to…

The Confederation of African Football has appointed Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea to take charge of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between hosts Morocco and Nigeria, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The high-profile encounter will be played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat at 9pm on Wednesday (today), with Laryea handling his second fixture of the tournament. Laryea’s only previous appearance at the finals came during the group stage in December, when he officiated Burkina Faso’s 1-0 defeat to Algeria in Group E. That outing has now been followed by his appointment for a knockout fixture widely regarded…

Actor Kiefer Sutherland, best known for his role in the hit television series 24, has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a ride-share driver in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the Canadian-British actor was taken into custody after officers responded a call in Hollywood shortly after midnight. “The investigation determined that the suspect, later identified as Kiefer Sutherland, entered a ride-share vehicle, physically assaulted the driver (the victim), and made criminal threats toward the victim,” police said in a statement. The 59-year-old actor was released a few hours later after posting $50,000 bail, law enforcement said.…

Ethereum digital asset treasury (DAT) BitMine has just staked another huge batch of Ether, bringing its total amount staked to over 1.5 million ETH. Tom Lee-chaired BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) added 186,560 ETH (worth around $625 million) to the “Beacon Depositor” address, reported Lookonchain on Wednesday.This brings the total amount staked by the world’s largest Ethereum (ETH) DAT to 1,530,784 ETH, worth approximately $5.13 billion, equating to 4% of the total 36 million ETH staked on the Beacon Chain.This share could still increase as the company holds a total of just over 4 million ETH, of which 37% has now been…

Nick Reiner’s former lawyer, Alan Jackson, broke down what happens when a person pleads insanity. “There’s very little in the law that’s indefensible and there’s a reason for that because I never approach a case like I’m just defending an individual,” Jackson said while appearing on the Tuesday, January 13, episode of Kelly Ripa’s SiriusXM podcast “Let’s Talk Off Camera,” just six days after the attorney withdrew from Reiner’s legal team. “Every time I approach a case on the defense side, I walk into the case and my entire team, they’re all trained to walk into the case knowing full…

A group under the aegis of Edo Civil Society Organizations, EDOCSO, has given a 7-day ultimatum to the Edo State Government and the State’s Commissioner of Police to release the remanded 52 anti-kidnapping protesters from the Correctional Centre. The Secretary General of the organisation, Leftist Godspower Okumbor, made the call in a statement to newsmen on Tuesday in Benin City. EDOCSO also charged the government and security agencies to immediately swing into action and arrest kidnappers, terrorists, killers, and those fleecing the state’s financial resources through the collection of ransoms. “We are calling on the Edo state government and the…

The winner of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primary in Ekiti State, Dr Wole Oluyede, has confirmed plans to appeal the Federal High Court’s nullification of the exercise, describing the ruling as unjust and procedurally flawed. Through his lawyer, Owoseni Ajayi, Oluyede stated that an appeal will be filed promptly, along with a request for a stay of execution, to prevent the immediate conduct of a fresh primary. He emphasised his determination to exhaust all legal avenues to have his candidacy recognised and his name restored to the list of eligible governorship candidates for the June 20, 2026 election.…

Lagos State Government has apprehended a Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, driver in connection with the death of a pedestrian, identified as Elizabeth Fresh, who was struck by a high-capacity bus at Airport Junction, Ikeja. The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, confirmed that the fatal accident occurred on Friday, January 9, 2026, involving a bus operated by the Red and White Bus Operating Company under its regulation. According to a statement obtained on January 12, 2026, and signed by the agency’s Head of Corporate Communication, Kolawole Ojelabi, the driver initially fled the scene but was later tracked down and handed…